SCIOTO TOWNSHIP, Ohio — A Chillicothe resident was flown to a regional trauma center Friday afternoon after his car crossed the median on U.S. Route 35 and slammed into a disabled semi-truck parked along the opposite shoulder.
State troopers from the Chillicothe Post of the Ohio State Highway Patrol were dispatched to the scene in Ross County, near the State Route 104 exit, shortly after receiving reports of the two-vehicle collision at 3:33 p.m. on August 21, 2026.
According to initial investigators, 33-year-old Michael Leeth was traveling westbound on U.S. 35 in a 2012 Ford Focus when his vehicle veered off the left side of the highway. The sedan crossed the median into the oncoming eastbound lanes and crashed into a stationary 2003 Kenworth tractor-trailer occupied by 66-year-old Michael Cravens of South Point, Ohio.
Leeth suffered serious injuries and was transported via MedFlight to Grant Medical Center in Columbus for emergency treatment. Cravens was uninjured in the impact. Neither vehicle carried additional passengers.
Eastbound lanes of U.S. 35 remained closed for approximately two hours while emergency responders managed the scene and cleared debris. Assisting the Highway Patrol were crews from VA Fire, Scioto and Union Township EMS, and the Ross County Sheriff’s Office.
The cause of the crash remains under active investigation by state troopers.
